


Sweetpea

by TheDweeb



Series: In Another World my Smile was Meant for You [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Budding Love, Family Feels, Fluff, Garleans (Final Fantasy XIV), Gen, M/M, Miqo'te (Final Fantasy XIV), Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 14:58:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,401
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18967567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDweeb/pseuds/TheDweeb
Summary: Justus was always accused of not thinking, or not thinking of the right things. In truth, he thought too much. He also knew what was important in life, and celebrations were part of that.





	Sweetpea

Time was an interesting phenomenon. In concept, it was something man made, yet it was also a thing observable in the natural world. Seasons changed, people and animals grew old, died, and even the tallest mountains, the strongest foundations, would one day erode until there was nothing left. Those observations were what gave birth to the idea of time in the minds of mortals. For a man who was immortal, however, time had little meaning. 

For millennia he had existed, shapeless and formless. It was the ideal means of infection, which was the creed of his brethren, but once he had been a man. Whether mortal or divine he could not remember but he had been a man. As a formless being, however, he had enjoyed the privilege of living many lives, though he had been blind to it. The veil had only been lifted from his eyes in what he would say was a recent time, yet again time held little meaning for him.

This was the second time he was living as Justus het Menauce. His time on the Source had been brief but enlightening. It was there that he had discovered the joys of living again. It was at the Source that he remembered what it was to love. The feeling had been joyous and bittersweet, and had he any other choice he would have lived a full lifetime there. Circumstances being what they were had him abandoning the mortal coil early, though he was far too invested in the seeds he had sown--in his family--to fully abandon them. And then their time was done and so he drifted, driven no longer by his brethren and their desires but still at the behest of another. To be fair, Hydalen was not the slave driver that his former comrades were but a master was a master.

He had not expected that his life on this new Shard would so closely mirror his previous one no matter the similarities. Then a familiar scream had greeted his ears when his son was born. His heart had swelled and he had been grinning ear to ear when he looked into the angrily squalling face of his enormous infant son. Those baby blue eyes would turn to gold within a year and the boy would continue to grow and grow until he outstripped even a roegadyn. Valtristus had returned to him having lived his life on the Source, or perhaps he had lived more than one life. Regardless of how many lifetimes he had lived, Justus once more had his son and he was at peace.

What he had not counted on was finding more familiar faces, and then one day a pair of wide brown eyes met him at his doorstep. Just as before he found himself charmed by S’ean, but now they existed within the same time frame and the young miqo’te was younger still and alone. He was also Justus’s chief Medicus and an indispensable part of his household. Perhaps he, too, had lived another lifetime or two, and perhaps that explained the difference in demeanor from the young man he had encountered throughout time on the Source. 

Both were sweet, both were kind, but his S’ean had a distinct lack of confidence and an anxiousness about him that spoke of trauma. It was something he had worked hard to alleviate, with the soft hand that Medea had requested and expected of him when she had introduced them. His efforts were paying off, slowly but surely, and where once upon a time he would not have cared how he affected another’s life he was happy to be making such a positive impact. Like a flower in a garden S’ean was blooming, if still somewhat shyly, and as long as fate was kind Justus was determined to stay and see him in full bloom.

For the time, however, he was happy with how things were. This life was proving to be a bit calmer, a little kinder, and he was reminded of it as he strolled into his now two year old son’s room to find him on his bed, in S’ean’s lap, listening to a story being read. Once that had been him, a chair pulled next to the bed and gold eyes watching while still little ears listened intently. Where he had tended toward philosophy, however, S’ean preferred the fanciful, and Valtristus was content to listen. It was an idyllic portrait and would that he had any skill with a brush he would paint it.

“What is it, Pater?” Valtristus asked in his oh-so-adult way.

Blinking owlishly as brown eyes joined gold in staring him down, he then smiled and stepped over the threshold as if that had been his very intention from the start. 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, darlings,” he said, affecting an almost sheepish grin that lost the effect as the corners of his mouth pricked just a hair too high.

He bit back a laugh as his son leveled him with a particular stare; one that he knew would later be perfected into something most marvelous. Fortunately, S’ean was patient and he turned a soft smile Justus’s way that had begun to make him weak in the knees. Pushing the the intrusive thought aside, Justus then cleared his throat. He had been meaning to find S’ean at some point that day. That his wandering legs had brought him to him amidst his musing was neither here nor there.

“Do the two of you know what day it is?”

“Firesday.”

“Firesday?”

Their replies came in unison, even if their tones were dissonant, and he laughed joyfully before clapping his hands in front of him. Where his son looked annoyed, S’ean was most certainly confused and that made him laugh all the more.

“What is so funny, Pater?” 

“Nothing, darling, nothing,” he replied as he strode toward the pair.

He bent at the waist to bring himself closer to them, then he smiled again. This time the expression was less mischievous and full of fond warmth. 

“Why, it’s your Anniversary, S’ean darling.”

“My wha-Oh!”

S’ean’s laugh, once small and nervous, was now full and mirthful. It had been two years since he had come to House Menauce, and Justus had decided it was an occasion to celebrate.

“You’re not going to try baking again, are you?” Valtristus asked with a look of distress.

That he could even remember the event--he had only been a year old at the time--was remarkable in and of itself. That he also remembered the absolute disaster that had been Justus trying to do something in the kitchen stung his pride. Why he had decided he had to be the one to attempt to make the gift had been beyond him at the time. He had an inkling now but, again, the thought was pushed aside, and he put his hands on his hips.

“No, of course not. Why would I _ever_ attempt such a thing? I’ve _never_ attempted such a thing.”

Valtristus’s stare and S’ean’s giggle proved his lie for what it was, but he pressed on.

“No, I thought we could all go have a nice dinner out to celebrate the occasion,” he said. “S’ean’s choice, of course.”

“Oh, really, Justus, you don’t have to-” S’ean began, as Justus knew he would, then he was silenced as a gloved hand was held up.

“I know I don’t have to, darling, but I want to,” he replied warmly before he turned his hand palm up. “Now, shall we all get ready?”

Smiling at S’ean’s sigh--exasperated but also hopefully fond--his smile became even wider when he felt the young Medicus take his hand. Valtristus had gently taken the storybook, marked it with a ribbon, then closed and set it aside before hopping off his bed. He knew it was useless to fight the tide that was his father. Then Justus helped S’ean to his feet and held his other hand out for his son to take, which he did. It was odd how right it all felt, but despite being outside of time he had little to dwell on it.

“Come now. Coats and shoes and off we go,” he crowed merrily as he led the pair out of the room.

There would be time enough to think on it later. All the time in all the worlds.

**Author's Note:**

> So, for clarity's sake I figure I'll outline what this is all about.
> 
> Where Valtristus and I have put our OCs into the FFXIV universe we have also made AUs within that AU. This series takes place on a completely different Shard from FFXIV Canon; which is on the Source. Thusly, the characters while having the same names are essentially different iterations of their Source counterparts (with the exception of Justus, who is product of us fucking around with lore and theorycrafting concepts). Too, the world shares same and similar names to places on the Source, but the history and current events of the world are different; we're just too lazy to think of new names. 
> 
> This series specifically focuses on Justus and S'ean with a few other of our OCs coming in and out. If you've got questions feel free to drop a comment or message to ask (I'm still learning how things work, bear with me please). And thanks for reading! (All titles will be taken from their joint playlist)


End file.
